Let's get this show on the road!

Over the past few years, Ladyfests - DIY feminist festivals - have been staged in cities all over the world, and with a little bit of know-how, anyone can get in on the act. Leonie Cooper shows you how

Over the years, music and cultural festivals have tended to be a man's game. Even the achingly liberal Latitude festival, held in Suffolk in July, for instance, was packed with male headliners - the Arcade Fire being the only one to have any female members at all.

Over the past seven years, though, a vibrant underground force has been bucking against this male domination. It started in 2000, in Olympia, Washington, when the riot-grrrl bands, Sleater-Kinney and Bratmobile, staged the first ever Ladyfest - a non-profit DIY feminist festival, run by volunteers. Along with music, there were workshops, art installations and discussion groups.

Which could have been the end of it. Somehow, though, that first festival proved such a potent spark that Ladyfests have been proliferating ever since - in 2001 there were five of them worldwide, and by 2005 (the last year for which there are complete figures) this had grown to 31. Festivals have taken place in Berlin, Toulouse, Hawaii, Brisbane, Singapore and Malmo, and 2007 has already seen UK Ladyfests in Cambridge and Leeds, with Ladyfest Bristol running next week from August 27 to September 2. Leicester will host one in October, and a Ladyfest London is scheduled for May 2008.

There is no central Ladyfest headquarters, and each festival is autonomous - anyone can put one on and run it according to their own rules and ideals. It is a given that thou shalt not take the Ladyfest name in vain, though. All the festivals are collaborative efforts run by large groups, so someone will undoubtedly find out if you sneakily try to run one for profit. Apart from that, it's all up to you. Here, with help from the Ladyfest Bristol organisers, and others, is a complete cut-out-and-keep guide to how to go about it.

Getting started

Unless you are an organisational superwoman - spandex pants optional - you will need to find a group of like-minded individuals before you start; Ladyfest is all about teamwork. Bristol's forthcoming event has been organised by a core committee of four women volunteers in their early to mid 20s, a group of music-loving friends who have DJed and promoted gigs together in the past. Hannah Wright is managing the project, Elizabeth Payne is doing PR, Sian Norris is art coordinator and Jess Tye is in charge of fundraising.

None of them has been involved in a Ladyfest before, but after attending Ladyfest Bristol in 2003 ("a brilliant event," sighs Norris), they came away inspired. And some of the 2003 organisers have been giving them a helping hand. They are also working with a large group of first-time Ladyfest volunteers who responded to their local adverts. "We were all very aware of what a positive effect the last Ladyfest had on the local area," says Payne, "and how good a platform it had been for local and national performers; it's great for us, four years later, to carry on providing a platform for these artists, musicians, cabaret artists and people who are doing theatre, especially now that Bristol seems to be really blossoming."

As all Ladyfests are non-profit, at an early stage you will also need to pick a women's charity to donate funds to - Ladyfest Bristol is donating to the Fawcett Society, the UK's leading campaign for gender equality.

Booking acts

Once you have decided to put on a Ladyfest, put the feelers out on internet message boards to see if people are interested in attending, and what they would like to see. If you are lucky, this initial online activity will also attract performers who are aching to play at your event. Leeds-based Penny Broadhurst, a musician, spoken-word artist and comedian, performed at her first Ladyfest in Birmingham in 2004 after reading about it on a mailing list for performers. She sent off her CD to the organisers and was invited to play. She enjoyed it so much that she took a role in organising this year's Ladyfest Leeds. "I curated and compered a comedy night," she says, "wrote a zine about DIY comedy, did my own hour-long show and was a steward for much of the festival."

No matter how much initial interest you generate, though, you will still have to hunt down a fair number of acts. Social networking site MySpace is a great place to look for bands, comedians and even artists. Simply send a message to anyone who takes your fancy, tell them what you are after and see if they bite. The general rule is that acts should be mostly female or female-fronted, but these festivals are truly DIY, so it is entirely up to you. Broadhurst suggests that, when looking for artists, it is best to start locally. "We tried to prioritise local performers, as did Newcastle's event, with the aim of having half the acts coming from the area." This also ensures that each Ladyfest has a unique feel, and cuts down on travel costs and carbon emissions.

However, London-based electro-poppers and fancy-dress enthusiasts, the Duloks, have played four UK Ladyfests and in each instance were approached via MySpace. The band epitomise Ladyfest's DIY ethic: "Duloks are built on girl power," says lead singer Mira Manga. "We do everything ourselves: booking shows, T-shirts, management - so we are 100% lady-driven."

Advertising & fundraising

As well as booking bands via MySpace you can also use the site to generate some free publicity. Over the past few years, almost every Ladyfest has had a presence on the social networking site. "It has been a really useful tool for us," says Ladyfest Bristol's Jess Tye, who used the site to book performers for the event's initial fundraising events. "Hannah set up the MySpace last year to gauge interest in the event," continues Tye, "and she got a lot of positive responses. It was a really important factor in convincing us to go ahead with the festival." Julia Downes, who was on the music committee for Ladyfest Leeds earlier this year, used MySpace for advertising too, but also suggests placing hand-designed flyers and posters in local libraries, cafes and other venues with a sympathetic clientele.

Your Ladyfest will be nigh on impossible to run if you don't have enough dosh. In Bristol, an "unplugged" gig featuring local female performers raised over £300, while a cake sale and clothes-customising party garnered £80. "It was really fun and I got loads of new clothes," says organiser Sian Norris. The Ladyfest team also organised a pop-culture pub quiz. "The pub was packed out and we raised another £80," says Norris. A number of bands performing at Bristol have also pledged to donate a percentage of the money raised from the sales of CDs at their gigs to charity. But Elizabeth Payne is still worried about the financial aspect. "So many people and venues have given their time and space for free but we're still not sure whether we'll cover our costs." While most budding acts will usually perform for free in exchange for some good exposure, venues that run as profit-making businesses can be difficult. At which point the phrase "ain't too proud to beg" takes on a whole new relevance ...

Workshops

The original Ladyfest in Washington held workshops on subjects including organic gardening, swing dancing, making your own menstrual products and car repair. The workshops are where Ladyfests really come into their own, ensuring that the events educate as well as entertain. Ladyfests in the past have had strong links with Stitch'n Bitch - the brainchild of Debbie Stoller, editor-in-chief of American feminist magazine Bust - a movement that has seen women across the world reclaim knitting as a feminist activity.

Most cities in the UK have their own Stitch'n Bitch group, so get in touch with them and ask if they would fancy holding a session - one is being held at Ladyfest Bristol if you are keen to purl in public. Other forms of crafting also make popular workshops - Bristol will be having a "make your own bunting" workshop.

If crocheting your own tampons seems a little far-fetched, then you can always tailor your festival towards discussions, rather than crafts. If you want to focus on that aspect, local universities are an excellent place to bag speakers - hunt around and see if there are any likely-looking academics who wouldn't mind lending their expertise to a discussion. Ladyfest workshops are often proof that the festival has a sense of humour as well. Penny Broadhurst of Ladyfest Leeds notes that "DIY dildo-making was clearly the craziest, and best, workshop".

Smoothing over the cracks

Despite your best efforts, it is a given that things won't run half as smoothly as you would like. When organising Ladyfest Leeds, Broadhurst ran into arguments with people who thought that male organisers shouldn't be allowed, that men couldn't be feminists, or even show solidarity. A number of women also tried to block discussions on pornography. "Groups were trying to stamp their idea of what a feminist is on to our festival," says Broadhurst. "There isn't just one kind of feminist, and many of us disagree." While setting up the forthcoming Ladyfest Bristol, Elizabeth Payne's problems have revolved around dealing with the sheer number of people involved. "Working in such a huge group is difficult - there are over 70 volunteers, so it takes a long time to come to a decision. We want everyone to agree on everything, but it's really hard to get everyone's voice heard when you have a deadline to meet."

Enjoying it

If all goes well, your Ladyfest won't just be an enjoyable experience for the punters, but for the performers and organisers as well. "It's very warm and welcoming," says Mira Manga. "You're basically guaranteed an audience who are enthused about what you're doing before you hit the stage, and that's pretty rare." There is also a good chance that the audience will experience something they will never forget. Julia Downes has attended seven Ladyfests, including the first ever UK event in Glasgow, in 2001, where she saw the Gossip play live. "Beth Ditto was on fire and stripped naked," says Downes. "It re-energised people and made this abstract, dated American thing called riot grrrl - which some of us had missed out on - a very real presence in our lives."

Meanwhile, back in Bristol, a band called Blue Tobias have formed specifically to play the city's bash. "It's a testament to how Ladyfest can inspire people," says Payne. "It'll be their first ever gig - I'm not saying they'll be brilliant, but it's great that they've been inspired to give it a go." Ladyfest Bristol is also running a Mad Hatter's Tea Party, a fancy-dress shindig that will be open to children and grown-ups alike. "I think I'm going to be a caterpillar," says Wright.

Payne is most looking forward to seeing Anat Ben-David from German art-dance act Chicks on Speed perform. "She's kicking off the week, and I'm really excited about the whole launch," she says, "because it'll mean that the festival is actually happening and we haven't just imagined it all!"